Nonprofit lead for @BetterDotGiving. Edtech/AI enthusiast and Edtech/AI sceptic! Love cycling. Creator of https://xitter.cf/t.co/iPWoada2d4 Avid user of https://xitter.cf/t.co/FSIGq6gAgR
Bishop's Stortford
Joined March 2009
- Tweets13.6K
- Following4.5K
- Followers3.6K
- Likes3.7K
Pinned Tweet
If you are serious about better mathematics education - be it in a traditional classroom or supported by tech, then ignoring the QAMA really means you are just happy with mediocrity. Sorry. Take a look and if you think they are not worth the time or effort - PLEASE say why. This is one of those times when silence means complicity with the poor substitute for thought that calculators have generally become.
Desirable Difficulties - as discussed by UCLA - Hear from the Bjorks on @mrbartonmaths podcast at 1:06 how the QAMA contributes to thinking. podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/ro… The result of their thinking? See more recommendations at qama.world
Direct Instruction v direct instruction
What's the difference?
zigsite.com/Critique_of_Lowe…(direct_instruction.html
The link never copies well! Just copy the whole thing and paste it into your browser.
Just created my own personal workout app. Doing the things I want it to do. Seems to be working quite well. I added in my spreadsheet workout sessions from 4 years ago, asked it to create plans based on those and the weight/reps I did. Also bearing in mind my lack of recent exercise and age! Thanks @Replit
Tim Stirrup retweeted
Most donation platforms take a cut and keep the keys. We don't. 30 seconds on how Better Giving works 👇
Tim Stirrup retweeted
What if multiplication fact practice could unlock more than answers?
In classrooms that use structured oracy and reflection, students do far more than recall times tables. They explain their thinking, compare strategies, challenge assumptions, and build real number sense. The result is confidence, fluency, and genuine understanding.
This short video shows how students use oracy to talk through their reasoning and how reflection helps them connect ideas, strengthen patterns, and grow their independence.
If you work in maths education, or you are curious about approaches that go beyond chanting and memorisation, this is worth a watch.
Tim Stirrup retweeted
'Soft launch' of the new teacher accounts for Timbles. As requested, for when a teacher wants to use Timbles with a class, but the school has already purchased something else for mathematics practice. Super pricing and simplicity. Suitable for age 9 to adult. Child friendly not childish. Not constrained by the English MTC.
Also suitable for tutors and families.
timbles.com/teachers
Recently, we added voice recording to the oracy aspect of Timbles - so the user can type their reflection OR voice record it and get a transcription.
Then edit as they wish.
Note: This is not about speed... good recall is rewarded, but not as much as good understanding and reflections!
What if multiplication fact practice could unlock more than answers?
In classrooms that use structured oracy and reflection, students do far more than recall times tables. They explain their thinking, compare strategies, challenge assumptions, and build real number sense. The result is confidence, fluency, and genuine understanding.
This short video shows how students use oracy to talk through their reasoning and how reflection helps them connect ideas, strengthen patterns, and grow their independence.
If you work in maths education, or you are curious about approaches that go beyond chanting and memorisation, this is worth a watch.
This aspect of Timbles.com is so important - because Timbles is about success. Timbles is about the mathematics.
If you teach mathematics at any level, including adults (or just want to brush up your own skills), take a look. Then take a look at the Oracy/Reflections/Say why section.
Kids discussing mathematics when they practice multiplication? Surely not!
So, times tables/multiplication practice was always predicated on how many answers you got wrong. How about changing the parameter, so that when you practice you always get 100% right?
With the 'score' being how many you got right first time. Accuracy beating speed, difficulty also having a factor in the points you get.
Take a look how, using the Timbles 'Daily Challenge'. I guarantee you have not seen anything like this.
P.S the UK MTC is too constrained for my liking. Timbles is not for practicing the restrictive technical needs of the MTC. But give it to Y5, Y10, Adults and teachers even! and away they go. 😀
‘Supposed’ to have completed on a house sale and purchase today.
Tell me the reasons why conveyancing shouldn’t be done by an AI agent? Assuming a licence is forthcoming.
(Nice pint of beer though in the hotel we have had to book at last minute!)
Got excited when I saw this as about 20 years ago in France, they had tins of coca-cola Blak - which was full strength cola and a shot of espresso! Three of them used to see me right on a 7 hour drive!
But no… how disappointing.
in 2012 I started a proposal for a free school that was enabled by technology and had a large creative aspect. It included quotes from both 'Liberating learning' and Ken Robinson. medium.com/@timstirrup/a-sch…
It didn't get to submission stages for a number of reasons, but it appears that a very high profile school could use the same quotes for their morning curriculum and their afternoon curriculum.
A 'tradprog' school maybe?
I have long argued that if you are a teacher that uses explicit DI, then you are the teachers that will be replaced by tech, and I think that is part of the reason why enthusiasts of eDI are at loggerheads. Some accept it and are eager to be part of, or drive the technological solutions. Others do not and are not.
So, I like the 'idea'. BUT it is in the delivery that the detail is important. Just because you 'can' do something with tech doesn't mean you 'should'. (Paging Dr Malcolm!)
p.s I think that a lot of the tech being used in mathematics education is on the surface very 'up to date' with cognitive science, AI curricula, personalised learning and so on. But have a major flaw in generally being based upon a 90 year old technology! The results of that are being seen in PISA results since 2015 and more and more.
p.p.s Liberating Learning went far beyond the tech. I do not agree with it all by any means. Similarly for Ken Robinson.
I know there are millions of language apps out there. I am still amazed at how many people I meet in France are in ridiculous ‘daily streaks’ and yet can’t understand or carry out a conversation. Or even start one.
I wanted different thing to do for my own practice. So I built my own language practice app dailyphrase.co I’d be interested in what language teachers thought of it. But give it a go. I’m quite pleased with the translate/pronunciation feature as well.
Always interesting how enthusiasts for Engelmann's explicit DI work never comment on the paper he wrote regarding di and DI, 'average teachers', teacher training and that also comments on Project Follow Through.
It's as though it doesn't exist. I am actually interested in what the enthusiasts think of it. But... nothing.
Here's how I think it relates to the current crop of tech enabled schools. xitter.cf/timstirrup/status/2095…
I’m doing some work atm with AI reviews. As a fight back against the instructions in what is and isn’t Ai-slop, I’m re-reading ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’. Such a good book. Semicolons and emdashes all over the place. Probably why AI flags them as proof of good writing and uses (used) them so much.
well, this will be controversial! hoodmaps.com/london-neighbor…
Must say, it has the areas I have lived/live/worked in pretty much right!
